Advanced Commentary

(ex.: John 3:14-18)

Table of Contents Bible Dictionary
Arts
Questions
Resources/Books

Context
8:1 On that same <01931> day <03117> King <04428> Ahasuerus <0325> gave <05414> the estate <01004> of Haman <02001>, that adversary <06887> of the Jews <03064>, to Queen <04436> Esther <0635>. Now Mordecai <04782> had come <0935> before <06440> the king <04428>, for <03588> Esther <0635> had revealed <05046> how <04100> he <01931> was related to her. 8:2 The king <04428> then removed <05493> his signet ring <02885> (the very one he had taken back <05674> from Haman <02001>) and gave <05414> it to Mordecai <04782>. And Esther <0635> designated <07760> Mordecai <04782> to be in <05921> charge of Haman’s <02001> estate <01004>. 8:3 Then Esther <0635> again <03254> spoke <01696> with <06440> the king <04428>, falling <05307> at <06440> his feet <07272>. She wept <01058> and begged him for mercy <02603>, that he might nullify <05674> the evil <07451> of Haman <02001> the Agagite <091> which <0834> he had intended <02803> against <05921> the Jews <03064>. 8:4 When the king <04428> extended <03447> to Esther <0635> the gold <02091> scepter <08275>, she <0635> arose <06965> and stood <05975> before <06440> the king <04428>. 8:5 She said <0559>, “If <0518> the king <04428> is so inclined and if <0518> I have met <04672> with his approval <02580> and if the matter <01697> is agreeable <03787> to the king <04428> and if I <0589> am attractive to him, let an edict be written <03789> rescinding those recorded <03789> intentions <04284> of Haman <02001> the son <01121> of Hammedatha <04099>, the Agagite <091>, which <0834> he wrote <03789> in order to destroy <06> the Jews <03064> who <0834> are throughout all <03605> the king’s <04428> provinces <04082>. 8:6 For <03588> how <0349> can <03201> I watch <07200> the calamity <07451> that <0834> will befall <04672> my people <05971>, and how <0349> can <03201> I watch <07200> the destruction <013> of my relatives <04138>?” 8:7 King <04428> Ahasuerus <0325> replied <0559> to Queen <04436> Esther <0635> and to Mordecai <04782> the Jew <03064>, “Look <02009>, I have already given <05414> Haman’s <02001> estate <01004> to Esther <0635>, and he has been hanged <08518> on <05921> the gallows <06086> because <0834> <05921> he took <03027> <07971> hostile action <03027> <07971> against the Jews <03064>. 8:8 Now you <0859> write <03789> in <05921> the king’s <04428> name <08034> whatever <02896> in your opinion <05869> is appropriate <02896> concerning the Jews <03064> and seal <02856> it with the king’s <04428> signet ring <02885>. Any decree <03791> that <0834> is written <03789> in the king’s <04428> name <08034> and sealed <02856> with the king’s <04428> signet ring <02885> cannot <0369> be rescinded <07725>. 8:9 The king’s <04428> scribes <05608> were quickly <06256> summoned <07121>– in the third <07992> month <02320> (that <01931> is, the month <02320> of Sivan <05510>), on the twenty-third <06242> <07969> day. They wrote out <03789> everything <03605> that <0834> Mordecai <04782> instructed <06680> to <0413> the Jews <03064> and to <0413> the satraps <0323> and the governors <06346> and the officials <08269> of the provinces <04082> all the way from <05704> India <01912> to <05704> Ethiopia <03568>– a hundred <03967> and twenty-seven <06242> <07651> provinces <04082> in all– to each province <04082> <04082> in its own script <03789> and to each people <05971> <05971> in their own language <03956>, and to <0413> the Jews <03064> according to their own script <03789> and their own language <03956>. 8:10 Mordecai wrote <03789> in the name <08034> of King <04428> Ahasuerus <0325> and sealed <02856> it with the king’s <04428> signet ring <02885>. He then sent <07971> letters <05612> by couriers <07323> <03027> on horses <05483>, who rode <07392> royal <0327> horses <07409> that were very swift. 8:11 The king <04428> thereby allowed <05414> the Jews <03064> who were in <0834> <0834> every <03605> city <05892> <05892> to assemble <06950> and to stand up <05975> for <05921> themselves <05315>– to destroy <08045>, to kill <02026>, and to annihilate <06> any <03605> army <02426> of whatever people <05971> or province <04082> that should become their adversaries <06696>, including their women <0802> and children <02945>, and to confiscate <0962> <07998> their property. 8:12 This was to take place on a certain <0259> day <03117> throughout all <03605> the provinces <04082> of King <04428> Ahasuerus <0325>– namely, on the thirteenth <06240> <07969> day of the twelfth <06240> <08147> month <02320> (that <01931> is, the month <02320> of Adar <0143>). 8:13 A copy <06572> of the edict <03791> was to be presented <05414> as law <01881> throughout each <04082> and every <03605> province <04082> and made known <01540> to all <03605> peoples <05971>, so that the Jews <03064> might be <01961> prepared <06259> on that <02088> day <03117> to avenge <05358> themselves from their enemies <0341>.

• Est 8:1-17 -- The King Acts to Protect the Jews

• Minister

  [nave] MINISTER An officer in civil government. Joseph, Gen. 41:40-44; Ira, 2 Sam. 20:26; Zabud, 1 Kin. 4:5; Ahithophel, 1 Chr. 27:33; Zebadiah, 2 Chr. 19:11; Elkanah, 2 Chr. 28:7; Haman, Esth. 3:1; Mordecai, Esth. 10:3; 8-9; Danie...
  

• Mordecai

  [nave] MORDECAI A Jewish captive in Persia, Esth. 2:5, 6. Foster father of Esther, Esth. 2:7. Informs Ahasuerus of a conspiracy against his life, and is rewarded, Esth. 2:21-23; Esth. 6:1-11. Promoted in Haman's place, Esth. 8:1...
  

• Haman

  [nave] HAMAN Prime minister of Ahasuerus, Esth. 3:1. Plotted against Esther and the Jews, thwarted by Esther and Mordecai, hanged, Esth. 3-9.
  

• Esther

  [nave] ESTHER, called also Hadassah. Niece of Mordecai, Esth. 2:7, 15. Chosen queen, Esth. 2:17. Tells the king of the plot against his life, Esth. 2:22. Fasts on account of the decree to destroy the Israelites; accuses Haman to ...
  

• Servant

  [nave] SERVANT Distinguished as bond servant, who was a slave, and hired servant. Bond Laws of Moses concerning, Ex. 21:1-11, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32; Lev. 19:20-22; 25:6, 10, 35-55; Deut. 15:12, 14, 18; 24:7. Kidnapping forbidden, D...
  

• Israel

  [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...
  

• Ring

  [ebd] Used as an ornament to decorate the fingers, arms, wrists, and also the ears and the nose. Rings were used as a signet (Gen. 38:18). They were given as a token of investment with authority (Gen. 41:42; Esther 3:8-10; 8:2), a...
  [isbe] RING - (Anglo-Saxon, Hring, "ring"): The word renders (the American Standard Revised Version) two Hebrew words (in the King James Version and the English Revised Version three) and two Greek words. Tabba`ath, the principal H...
  [nave] RING Of gold, Num. 31:50. Worn as a badge of office, Gen. 41:42. Given as a token, Esth. 3:10, 12; 8:2-10. Worn in the nose, Prov. 11:22; Isa. 3:21. Offerings of, to the tabernacle, Ex. 35:22; Num. 31:50.
  

• Seal

  [ebd] commonly a ring engraved with some device (Gen. 38:18, 25). Jezebel "wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal" (1 Kings 21:8). Seals are frequently mentioned in Jewish history (Deut. 32:34; Neh. 9:38; 10:1...
  [isbe] SEAL - sel (substantive chotham, "seal," "signet," Tabba`ath, "signet-ring"; Aramaic `izqa'; sphragis; verb chatham, (Aramaic chatham); (sphragizo), (katasphragizomai, "to seal"): I. Literal Sense. A seal is an instrument of...
  [smith] The importance attached to seals in the East is so great that without one no document is regarded as authentic. Among the methods of sealing used in Egypt at a very early period were engraved stones, graved stones, pierced th...
  [nave] SEAL 1. A stamp used for signifying documents. Given as a pledge, Gen. 38:18. Engraved, Ex. 28:11, 21, 36; 39:6, 14, 30; 2 Tim. 2:19. Decrees signified by, 1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 8:8. Documents sealed with: Ahab's letter, 1 K...
  

• Proclamation

  [nave] PROCLAMATION Imperial, 2 Chr. 30:1-10; Esth. 1:22; 6:9; 8:10-14; Isa. 40:3, 9; Dan. 3:4-7; 4:1; 5:29. Emancipation, 2 Chr. 36:23; Ezra 1:1-4.
  

• India

  [ebd] occurs only in Esther 1:1 and 8:9, where the extent of the dominion of the Persian king is described. The country so designated here is not the peninsula of Hindustan, but the country surrounding the Indus, the Punjab. The p...
  [isbe] INDIA - in'-di-a (hoddu: he Indike): The name occurs in canonical Scripture only in Est 1:1; 8:9, of the country which marked the eastern boundary of the territory of Ahasuerus. The Hebrew word comes from the name of the Ind...
  [smith] The name of India does not occur in the Bible before the book of Esther where it is noticed as the limit of the territories of Ahasuerus in the east, as Ethiopia was in the west. (Esther 1:1; 8:9) The India of the book of Est...
  [nave] INDIA, probably the eastern limit of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, Esth. 1:1; 8:9.
  

• AGAGITE

  [ebd] a name applied to Haman and also to his father (Esther 3:1, 10; 8:3, 5). Probably it was equivalent to Amalekite.
  [isbe] AGAGITE - a'-gag-it, ('aghaghi, from, 'aghagh, "a member of the house of Agag"): A title of opprobrium given to Haman (Est 3:1,10; 8:3,5; 9:24). Jewish tradition always assigned the arch-enemies of Israel membership in the h...
  

• King

  [nave] KING Called King of kings, Ezra 7:12; Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37. Divinely authorized, Deut. 17:15; 1 Sam. 9:16, 17; 16:12; 1 Chr. 22:10; 2 Chr. 2:11, 12; Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37; 4:17; 5:20; Hos. 8:4; 13:11. How chosen: By d...
  

• Month

  [smith] From the time of the institution of the Mosaic law downward the religious feasts commencing with the passover depended not simply on the month, but on the moon; the 14th of Abib was coincident with the full moon; and the new ...
  [nave] MONTH Ancient use of, Gen. 7:11; 8:4. Twelve months reckoned to a year, 1 Chr. 27:1-15. 1. Abib (April). The Jewish calendar began with, Ex. 12:2; 13:4; Deut. 16:1. Passover instituted and celebrated in, Ex. 12:1-28; 23:1...
  

• Post

  [ebd] (1.) A runner, or courier, for the rapid transmission of letters, etc. (2 Chr. 30:6; Esther 3:13, 15; 8:10, 14; Job 9:25; Jer. 51:31). Such messengers were used from very early times. Those employed by the Hebrew kings had a...
  [isbe] POST - post (ruts, "to run," ratsim, "runners"): The "runners" formed the royal guard (1 Sam 22:17; 1 Ki 14:27; 2 Ki 11:4,13; see GUARD). From them were chosen the couriers who carried royal letters and dispatches throughout...
  [nave] POST A bearer of message, Job 9:25; Jer. 51:31. Of Hezekiah, 2 Chr. 30:6, 10; Ahasuerus, Esth. 3:13, 14; 8:10, 14.
  

• Hammedatha

  [ebd] father of Haman, designated usually "the Agagite" (Esther 3:1, 10; 8:5).
  [smith] (double), father of the infamous Haman. (Esther 3:1,10; 8:5; 9;24)
  [nave] HAMMEDATHA, father of Haman, Esth. 3:1, 10; 8:5; 9:10, 24.
  

• Sivan

  [ebd] a Persian word (Assyr, sivanu, "bricks"), used after the Captivity as the name of the third month of the Jewish year, extending from the new moon in June to the new moon in July (Esther 8:9).
  [isbe] SIVAN - se-van', si'-van (ciwan): The third month of the Jewish year, corresponding to June (Est 8:9). See CALENDAR.
  [nave] SIVAN, third month (June), Esth. 8:9.
  

• DEPUTY

  [ebd] in 1 Kings 22:47, means a prefect; one set over others. The same Hebrew word is rendered "officer;" i.e., chief of the commissariat appointed by Solomon (1 Kings 4:5, etc.). In Esther 8:9; 9:3 (R.V., "governor") it denotes a...
  [isbe] DEPUTY - dep'-u-ti: This is the correct rendering of nitsabh (1 Ki 22:47). In Est 8:9 and 9:3 the term improperly represents caghan, in the King James Version, and is corrected to "governor" in the Revised Version (British a...
  

• Adar

  [ebd] large, the sixth month of the civil and the twelfth of the ecclesiastical year of the Jews (Esther 3:7, 13; 8:12; 9:1, 15, 17, 19, 21). It included the days extending from the new moon of our March to the new moon of April. ...
  [nave] ADAR 1. Twelfth month in Jewish calendar, Ezra 6:15; Esth. 3:7; 8:12; 9:1. 2. Son of Bela, 1 Chr. 8:3. 3. See: Hazar-Addar.
  

• Camel

  [isbe] CAMEL - kam'-el (gamal; kamelos; bekher, and bikhrah (Isa 60:6; Jer 2:23 "dromedary," the American Revised Version, margin "young camel"), rekhesh (1 Ki 4:28; see HORSE), kirkaroth (Isa 66:20, "swift beasts," the American St...
  [nave] CAMEL, herds of, Gen. 12:16; 24:35; Gen. 30:43; 1 Sam. 30:17; 1 Chr. 27:30; Job 1:3, 17; Isa. 60:6. Docility of, Gen. 24:11. Uses of: For riding, Gen. 24:10, 61, 64; 31:17; posts, Esth. 8:10, 14; Jer. 2:23; drawing chariots...
  

• CAPTIVITIES OF THE JEWS

  [smith] The present article is confined to the forcible deportation of the Jew; from their native land, and their forcible detention, under the Assyrian or Babylonian kings. Captives of Israel. --The kingdom of Israel was invaded by ...
  

• The Jews Are Saved

  

• The book of Esther says that Mordecai was a Benjamite in one place and a Jew in others. Which was he?
  In Esther 2:5-6 we are told: 2:5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 2:6 who had been taken into ex...

Back to Commentary Page